Close To Boat

(510 views)
by Terry Costales

As you can see, the whale came very close to our boat. Very close.

Video Of Event

(496 views)
by Bryan Costales

A brief video showing highlights from the 2018 Burning Man Decompression Party. There were food booths, art and art cars, four stages, and a host of lighting effects (including fire).

Great Egret (ardea alba)

(472 views)
by Terry Costales

This shows all the markings you would look for in identifying this bird in the breeding season. The lacy plumes on the back and the green/blue "mask" that extends from the base of the bill to the eye are only present during this time. The Audubon Society came into existence to stop the extermination of great Egrets by plume hunters and has this bird as it's logo. Great Egrets are found world-wide, even in Australia .

Great Egret

(472 views)
by Terry Costales

The Great Egret has just caught a small fish.

Great Egret

(472 views)
by Terry Costales

I think I am addicted to taking shots of flying egrets.

Harbor Seal

(470 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo of a Harbor Seal was taken very near the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center at the bird sanctuary. I was very surprised to see it but the ranger verified that they have been known to occasionally appear.

Tortoise

(470 views)
by Terry Costales

These two large tortoises ambled about and were not as sluggish as one might expect. I dont know which species of tortoise this is because I forgot to photograph the sign.

Great Egret flying

(470 views)
by Terry Costales

To get a shot of a graceful bird flying is always a coup.

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

(468 views)
by Terry Costales

Yesterday I thought these birds might be Australian Pelicans but with further research I found they are American White Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. I'm glad that's settled.

Great Egret

(468 views)
by Terry Costales

I was fascinated to watch this egret hunt . He moved very patiently and slowly, then his head would dart into the shallow water and he would come up with a little fish. It must take a lot of little fish to fill such a large bird.

Great Egret (Ardea Alba)

(468 views)
by Terry Costales

These large egrets are graceful and breathtaking in flight. I watched this bird flying back and forth several times bringing nesting material back to it's mate. There was only one pair that I saw amongst dozens of the smaller Snowy Egrets.

Great Egret

(468 views)
by Terry Costales

I got this shot just as the egret was landing. Look closely and you can see the feet haven't quite come to rest on the pipe.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

(468 views)
by Terry Costales

This snowy owl at the Dublin Zoo was very quiet but, if it had spoken, it would have had an unusual voice.

Avocet non-breeding plumage

(468 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo was taken late March of this year and many birds were still in just black and white. For courting and breeding the necks and chest acquire a rusty or tan color. They really seem to enjoy their mud-flats.

Great Egret and Pheasant

(468 views)
by Terry Costales

I didn't see a pheasant when I looked at this tree, only the Egret. As the boat drew nearer to the tree the pheasant burst out, startling the egret and me. I tried to get a shot of them as they flew past, but I was much too slow. It wasn't until I looked at the photos at home that I had the pleasure to see I had gotten a shot of the pheasant after all.

Red-eared Slider

(466 views)
by Terry Costales

There are hundreds of these turtles in Stow Lake. If the little pet turtle you had as a kid ever lived long enough to outgrow its little plastic dish (the one with the fake palm tree) it would've become an adult Red-eared slider like this one. I wonder how many of those little pets ended up in Stow Lake?

Caged Tiger

(466 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo was taken August 13th, 2006, which was my first day with my new camera. The tiger rapidly paced her cage, back and forth, revealing an occasional silent snarl. I waited in front of the enclosure for a good shot but in all my photos the tiger was out of focus or out of frame. Except for this one. This photo isn't the greatest I've ever taken, but I love it anyway. I caught that exact second our eyes met and for that breath-catching moment I was potential prey.

Mr and Mrs Dieter Welte

(466 views)
by Terry Costales

I know this should be the Animalblog, but my only son, Dieter, got married this Sunday! Here is Dieter with his beautiful wife, Lizzy. My Congratulations and Best Wishes to them both.

Bonaparte's Gulls (winter plumage)

(466 views)
by Terry Costales

I generally prefer to photograph individual birds or pairs. But sometimes the flock can prove just as beautiful.

Young Canada Geese

(466 views)
by Terry Costales

Yesterdays picture was taken of a gosling that was only a few days old. Today's photo was taken three weeks later. Now you should definitely be able to see that they are becoming adult geese. These goslings have lost their cute baby fuzz, but don't yet possess the handsome markings of an adult. But such is the bane of all adolescents.

Mother Coot and Young

(464 views)
by Terry Costales

On July 16th I was surprised to see a young coot with its parent. I hadn't been to this location in a while and I had missed seeing the coot chick when it was small. That's one of the attractions of birding. You never know what you will see on any given day. Usually it's not what you expect.

Elephant reaching for food

(464 views)
by Terry Costales

The largest elephant in the group reached up to pull down some hay. The elephants in this zoo had a very large enclosure with varying terrain. The Dublin Zoo seems to be doing an excellent job of caring for these great animals.

Nesting Night Heron

(464 views)
by Terry Costales

This nest was not in the fenced off area near the pond but next to the picnic tables. The herons are used to seeing and hearing people and seem quite tolerant of being ogled and photographed.

Avocet in breeding plumage (Recurvirostra americana)

(464 views)
by Terry Costales

This view shows the extent of the buff coloring avocets acquire on neck and chest in the breeding season. They stand about 15 to 20 inches tall and Wikipedia has more info on these birds if you're interested.

Flamingo

(464 views)
by Terry Costales

I love this close-up of a flamingo on its nest. I never realized their eyes were so pale.